npsot_bluebonnet_full_color

Mushroom Walk

Join Teri MacArthur for a Mushroom Walk from 8:00 - 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at Bear Branch Park, 5200 Research Forest Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77381.

BioBlitz: Cabler Park (Brownsville)

What can we find at Charlie Martin Cabler Park in Brownsville? Join us to find out! As part of a partnership with Brownsville Parks & Rec, let’s see what is […]

Coastal Water CleanUp (Gayman Bridge)

Come out and volunteer with us as work to clean up a piece of our local environment at the Puente de Los Lobos and Gayman's Bridge. EMR USA Metal Recycling […]

Outreach: Growing Native Milkweed

Saturday, May 18 — Join Greg Pearson at Friendswood Garden Emporium for a presentation on how to grow native milkweed.

Container Gardening with Keystone Plants presented by Krista De Cooke, Homegrown National Park – May 21

In this presentation, Krista De Cooke will explore container gardening as a potent strategy to combat biodiversity loss. Attendees will learn how to cultivate keystone plants tailored to their growing conditions and suitable for small spaces, using ecoregions as a guide for plant selection. Krista will showcase plant species that will be suitable for level […]

Free

Dear NLCP Committee Members,  This Monday begins our first meeting of 2024. We will meet at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month on this Zoom link:  https://npsot-org.zoom.us/j/87628189964?pwd=NUdBV3ZTSzFVMjJjTnpycjlQTGRJQT09.  We're […]

News Magazine Summer Submission Deadline

The Native Plant Society of Texas encourages submission of articles, photos, pertinent news or other interesting information for publication. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for accuracy, relevance, […]

June Leadership Meeting

Chapter Leadership meeting: our officers will meet from 6pm - 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. Let me know and I will send you the meeting invitation. Our Chapter Leadership […]

Green Jobs: Exploring STEM Natural Resource Careers

Webinar with Ted Stevens, Education Director, Texas Forestry Association Learn how to use Project Learning Tree's new Green Jobs guide that is TEKS-aligned and STEM correlated to inspire your students to pursue a future career working outdoors in a natural resource forestry related career. The guide contains four fun hands-on activities to explore this topic […]

Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Workshop – Pedernales River Watershed – June 6th

This in person workshop is being co-hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension & Research and the Texas Water Resources Institute. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover an introduction to riparian […]

Pop Up / No Frills Tour

Richard and Ann Thames and Michael Golden invite members and friends (and their friends) to a “last minute” NO FRILLS TOUR of native gardens, prairies, ponds, and woods on Schoenberg […]

Free

Executive Committee Meeting

Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Executive Committee meetings occur monthly and any member may attend. Contact the Executive Director prior to the meeting at state@npsot.org for Zoom and applicable document links. […]

Prairie Commons Tour with Bill Nieman

Sponsored by Native Plant Society of Texas – Trinity Forks Chapter Open to the public.  Free! Explore the unique integration of over seventy-five native plant species within a commercial real […]

Receive the latest native plant news

Subscribe To Our News

Subscribe to emails from the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Receive emails when new posts are added 4-6 times per month, or receive an email once a month.

Or join us on social media

About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason